Israel's Defense Minister has confirmed that their military will not withdraw troops from southern Lebanon, even if the United States and Iran reach a new joint agreement.
On Monday, 15 Jun 2026 GMT+7, Israel Katz, Israel's Minister of Defense, stated that Israeli forces will not pull back from southern Lebanon despite the new agreement announced between the US and Iran. Israel has already informed President Donald Trump of this position.
"Israel opposes the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from Lebanon, regardless of existing or anticipated pressures," Katz said in a statement, implicitly acknowledging Lebanon's role in the US-Iran agreement.
This is the first Israeli comment since Trump announced the agreement with Iran earlier that morning. Katz said Israel's policy is to maintain military presence indefinitely in the "security zones" in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip "to protect Israel's borders and communities from jihadist forces."
He further explained that occupying and maintaining these security zones is an "important lesson" from the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli territory, which caused about 1,200 deaths and over 200 hostages taken.
Katz said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directly communicated Israel's stance to Trump, and Katz himself reiterated this position during a phone call with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Sunday.
"We will not compromise on Israel's highest security interests or the protection of our citizens, and we will absolutely not withdraw forces from the security zones," Katz said. He added, "If Iran attacks Israel due to the situation in Lebanon, we will respond with full force and clearly demonstrate our military superiority."
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Source:cnn